


Off Limits

by mydeira



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-15
Updated: 2012-01-15
Packaged: 2017-10-29 14:38:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/320940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Owen and Jack discuss Torchwood's newest recruit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off Limits

“She’s off limits.”

Owen nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly recovered, though, and had switched his computer to a more innocuous program by the time Jack reached him.

“What are you on about now?” Owen knew very well what—or more aptly who—Jack was on about, but sometimes it was worth keeping up the charade of innocence. Jack’s warnings were an old game, a dash of predictable routine in the otherwise unpredictable world of Torchwood.

Jack gave Owen his “Here we go again” half-smile and perched on the edge of Owen’s desk, just a bit closer than was absolutely necessary. If it was ever absolutely necessary for a boss to sit on one of his employee’s desks. Whatever. Jack and the concept of personal space had never been all that well acquainted.

The half-smile became all teeth before Jack said, “Gwen Cooper. She’s off limits. And I do mean it this time.”

“Of course you do.” Owen didn’t roll his eyes. The only person in Torchwood he’d never gotten this speech about was Suzie. And Jack. But Jack was well within limits to anything with a pulse, and most likely without one, too.

Owen’s affair with Suzie had been an utter cock-up, and he was certain that was the main reason for the “off limits” speech’s very existence. The only person he’d ever obeyed the warning with was Tosh, and that was more for personal preservation than anything else. Too many complications with Tosh; she wasn’t a one-time shag kind of girl. And she scared him. Hurt Toshiko Sato and you’d be lucky to walk away with all your bits intact. James, the blonde bloke who’d previously been in Tosh’s position, had been well worth shagging and then some. So had Connie, the old receptionist before Ianto. Ianto had been a pleasant and very kinky surprise. Too bad the tea-boy was so adamant about it being a one-off, Owen wouldn’t mind—

“Do I even want to know where you’ve gone?” Jack interrupted wearily.

Owen grinned ferally in response. “So what’s so bloody special about the newbie that I absolutely cannot sully her virtue?”

“She’s got a life outside of Torchwood.”

“Not for long.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Get over yourself, Jack,” Owen spat. “You know as well as the rest of us, probably better, what this place does to a person. There is no life outside of this place.”

“That’s going to change.”

“Bullshit. The only thing that’s going to change is Gwen Cooper.”

Jack shook his head. “No, Torchwood is going to change,” he insisted. “Suzie was a wake up call.”

Owen laughed. Suzie wasn’t the first to go rogue in his brief tenure at Torchwood, and she sure as hell wouldn’t be the last. “You said the same thing after Jimmy got laid out by those Styfrixons. And who was the one before me? Embeth. That’s right, Embeth. Suzie told me all about Embeth’s dealings with—”

Jack jerked him out of the chair freakishly fast, one hand twisting in the front of Owen’s shirt and the other wrapping loosely around Owen’s neck. “Things are going to change.” The words were almost a growl. “You will not fuck Gwen Cooper. Is that understood?” Jack’s voice dropped even lower, his grip tightening enough to threaten Owen’s ability to breathe.

“Perfectly,” Owen rasped. He was possibly just a little bit frightened by Jack at the moment. He’d forgotten how scary the bastard could be.

Quicker than you could blink, Jack released Owen and was back to his normally charming self. His smile was genuine and warm. Which worried Owen more than any other action of Jack’s had. “Glad we have that settled.” Then Jack was off the desk and on his way.

Settled. Right.

Owen waited until Jack was back in his office before switching back to the recorded security feed of the cells. He watched as, yet again, Gwen took control of the kiss with Carys and shoved the possessed girl against the brickwork, snogging like it was going out of style. He hit rewind and played the moment over again at half speed. Then one-quarter speed. Like hell she was going to be off limits.

He considered Jack’s little song and dance. Jack meant business this time, there was no denying that. The warnings had never been lip-service; they were real every time. Just not this real. Owen rubbed absently at his throat. The warnings had never been physical until now. But violence hadn’t been a deterrent for Owen in too many years to recount. It was the look in Jack’s eyes that was the real difference.

Replaying the feed again, full-speed, Owen knew undoubtedly that he would fuck Gwen Cooper. It would be rough and brilliant. The way Cooper had shoved him against the wall… Oh, she was going to be worth it.

But, he decided, she would come to him. Jack couldn’t fault Owen then, could he?


End file.
